middle high german\introduction

Introduction

    German is divided geographically into two large groups of dialects, traditionally called High German (Hochdeutsch) and Low German (Niederdeutsch). If one were to draw a roughly latitudinal line through the map of Germany, running through the cities of Kaldenkirchen (southeast of Venlo on the Dutch border), Urdingen (near Krefeld, southwest of Duisburg), Kassel,
Magdeburg, Wittenberg and Lübben (northwest of Cottbus), one may demarcate approximately the boundary to the north of which Low German and to the south of which High German are designated. (Due to the metaphor inherent in the drawing of maps, we find Low German on that part of the map which is higher, while High German is found on the lower part -- think rather of the mountains and the rivers).
    Chronologically German is divided into Old-, Middle- and New-, either High- or Low-German. We will be concerned with the High German geographical area and the Middle High German chronological period. (Be careful, Middle German is a geographical designation, hence, 'Middle' may be used only in combination with 'High-' or 'Low,' or with other languages, viz. 'Middle English,' 'Old French, ' etc.).    The Old High German period extends roughly from 750 to about 1050. The Middle High German period from 1050 to about 1500, but the Blütezeit is approximately from 1200 to 1240. (Some linguists postulate 1350 as the end of the MHG period, calling the period from 1350 to 1650 Early New High German. I would challenge the date 1650, preferring 1600 as the end of the Early NHG period.) Since no language changes over night, the dates are approximate and open to question.
    Dialectically, the MHG language is divided into: 1) Upper German (Oberdeutsch) comprising Alemannic and Bavarian-Austrian; and, 2) Central German (Mitteldeutsch), comprising the Franconian (Fränkisch) dialects and East Central German ( Ostmitteldeutsch ).
    Virtually all the great writers at the turn of the 13th century wrote in Upper German, except for Wolfram and Heinrich von Morungen, both of whom wrote in dialects of Central German.

Kleine Aufgabe
Please respond to the admittedly pedantic content questions below,
which will nevertheless establish whether you have
informed yourself about some basic points with regard to Middle High German.

1. Why must one be careful when employing the term "middle" when speaking of German?

2. What are the major dialects of Middle High German?

3. Which dialects did most of the authors of the German High Middle Ages use?

Name:
Datum: